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Vineyard Swamps Nantucket in 34-0 Shutout

More than 2,000 fans were on hand last Saturday to watch the
Vineyarders harpoon the Nantucket Whalers 34-0, winning a third
consecutive Island Cup for the first time since the trophy was created
in 1978.

By halftime of last Saturday's game, with Vineyard's 34
points already on the board, the battle was apparently over. In the
second half, spectators - bundled in jackets and hats to block the
northeast wind - began to converse with their peers rather than
pay particular attention to the game.

The margin of victory was the largest for the Vineyard against
Nantucket since their 36-0 win Nov. 22, 1963.

The squad made Islanders proud and raised everyone's spirits.
Island families breaking bread on Thanksgiving have one more thing to be
grateful for - after the holiday week, the football team will take
to its home field to host the first ever playoff game on-Island, against
West Roxbury at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27.

From the start of the opening ceremony, the Island Cup sat on the
Vineyarders' bench, its polished silver gleaming in the sun.
During the playing of the national anthem, a Navy plane flew above,
emitting a trail of white smoke as it made two circular passes high
above the green field.

Fire engines and ambulances were parked behind the end zone nearest
the road, sirens wailing and horns belching. Spectators clapped, shouted
and rang cowbells. The noise rose like a wave and spilled onto the field
once Vineyard's Ben Gunn sent the pigskin in a high arc into
Whaler territory.

Nantucket's first possession was a prelude to what Island fans
desired. The Whalers' offense, starting at their own 46-yard line,
gained no yardage and on third down lost one yard. It was as close as
Nantucket's offense would come to the end zone for the remainder
of the game.

Nantucket punted with 8:45 remaining in the first quarter. Starting
from their own 30, the Vineyarders scored in less than four minutes, on
10 plays. The purple drove downfield with fluidity and grace, as if the
team could do anything it willed.

The first drive featured the usual offensive threats: Keith
Crossland, Tim Higgins, J.D. Wild and Ben Gunn. Quarterback Crossland
ran the ball twice and passed four times, including the touchdown pass
crowning the march. Gunn made his first catch of the game. Wild ran the
ball twice, and Higgins ran twice and made three catches, the last one
as he strolled untouched into the Whalers' end zone.

Nantucket gained its only first down of the game in its second
possession. Then, with the Whalers forced to punt on fourth down, Chris
Brown charged in, putting his hands within a hair's breadth of the
ball's trajectory. The punt was short, and the Vineyarders began
the second drive on Nantucket's 40-yard line.

Again commanding the field, Crossland was chased by the Whalers as
he rolled left before throwing a pass deep inside the end zone. Ted
Desrosiers, amid blanket coverage, leapt and caught the ball in his
extended hands.

Crossland had led the team to a 14-0 lead by quarter's end
with 6-for-7 passing for 74 yards and two touchdowns. In the second
quarter, he was removed from the quarterback position and played safety
and punt returner.

Eric McCarthy, playing in his first home game since returning from
an injury, led the offense to score on three of Vineyard's four
possessions in the second quarter. McCarthy was 2-for-5, passing for 31
yards and one touchdown in the second and third quarters.

After punting on its first possession in the second quarter,
Vineyard's offense quickly regained the ball. Nantucket's
Jason McWade, feeling the rush of the special teams at his throat,
fumbled the ball and Desrosiers recovered it. The Vineyarders began the
drive on the Whalers 45-yard line with 5:52 remaining in the half.

On second down, Higgins broke two tackles before being thrown out of
bounds after a 31-yard gain, one of his 13 carries for 79 yards on the
day. The drive ended with Wild's 10-yard touchdown run. After a
missed extra point attempt, the Vineyarders led 20-0.

The defense, led by Justin Chapman's nine tackles, shut down
Nantucket's offense once again. McCarthy was on the field for the
third drive of the quarter with 2:24 remaining in the half. Beginning
inside the Whalers' territory, Vineyard fought hard to get to the
7-yard line. Wild forced the ball across the goal line, and for the
two-point conversion Ben Gunn took the pigskin into the end zone on a
reversal.

With just 43 seconds to play in the half, the Island was up 28-0.
But the Vineyarders were not satisfied just yet. Once again, Nantucket
fumbled the kickoff and once again Desrosiers recovered it.

With 11 seconds on the clock on second down, McCarthy sailed the
ball 26 yards into the hands of a wide-open Desrosiers for a touchdown.
The extra point was blocked.

After two touchdowns and two fumble recoveries, Desrosiers injured
his ankle in the second half; he'll miss the remainder of the
season as a result. Coach Donald Herman nevertheless lauded the injured
junior for a "breakout game."

After the game, Coach Herman talked with Nantucket coach Vito
Capizzo. "The coach told me you cannot win turning the ball over
four times," said Coach Herman. "I agreed. He made the point
that his team was young, but so is our team."

In fact, only three seniors played on offense and three on defense.

"It was a great win," said Coach Herman, "and now
we are looking forward to West Roxbury."

The Raiders, out of the Boston North league, are undefeated at 9-0.
Their strengths are two running backs who can fight through tackles and
an aggressive defense.

"We are going in against West Roxbury about even," said
Coach Herman. "The players are confident and in good shape for the
game."

A win against the Raiders would send Vineyard to the Division 6
Super Bowl, to be played at Bentley College in Waltham. The opposing
team will be determined when Marian faces off against the winner of
yesterday's game between Georgetown and Manchester.

In the day's other games, the junior high school football team
beat Nantucket 28-0, and the junior varsity game ended 0-0. The Whalers
left the Island scoreless in all three games.